between her and Ciar couldn’t have gone well.”
I sighed and leaned back, bracing my hands against the freezing stone as I peered skyward at the astral lightshow.
“Maybe Killian needs to talk to Ciar,” I suggested, wondering what the hell was transpiring in that Celt’s head. He had a great thing going with Rini, and from what I’d understood, Rini and her bears were willing to accept him with open arms.
“Can you imagine Killian actually trying to have a serious conversation with Ciarán?” Nix scoffed, a smile quirking her lips as she tried to imagine what that would look like.
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that endeavor.” Visualizing how frustrated Killian would get trying to pin his brother down for a real heart-to-heart made me grin. A small part of me wanted to suggest it just for the fun it would create—you’d think a rebellion would be more like the movies, but most days it was just tedious.
Nix rocked her shoulder into my side, and we enjoyed a moment of quiet, comfortable silence together with only the sound of rushing water over smooth rocks filling the night.
“What else is bothering you?” I pressed, knowing there was more to her quiet contemplation than just her best friend. Call it a second sense, but I knew Nix almost as well as I knew myself, and there was more weighing on her than she let on.
Shaking her hand, she extinguished her flames and pushed a wide circle of heat around us before bracing her elbow on the top of one of her knees and resting her chin in her palm. A deep shiver crept up my back like grazing fingers, the heat chasing away the last of the icy chill from my bones. I sighed appreciatively and cocked my head at my mate, waiting with a steady stare.
“There were some girls talking earlier when I passed by,” she began, rolling her neck until she was looking upward, watching the waving lines of lights.
My fingers dug into the rock, the tips turning white from the pressure. However, I kept the rest of my frustration on her behalf hidden inside. “Khan?” The word was soft, floating in the air with the subtle hint of understanding.
“Yeah. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me. I mean, people have been talking about what happened since I got here, but I thought it would eventually die down a little.” Nix winced from her word choice, and I slid my palm along the boulder until my thumb brushed against the curve of her ass. There was nothing sexual about the gesture. I just wanted to make contact and offer comfort.
“I understand. Ever since I killed Mrs. Stone—”
“You don’t know that you killed her,” Nix hurriedly interjected, her hand flying from where it cradled her face to land just above my knee. Her fingers squeezed lightly, her eyes shining even in the dark.
“The smallest technicality, mikró puláki.” I sat up, readjusting until I was behind her and Nix was resting against my chest. The feel of Nix’s body against mine was a steadying force as she nuzzled in. “Whether or not she was alive when we left that island, I had a hand in her death. Every fucking day I think about my twisted powers. I have to live with what I’ve done, and I worry every time I activate my magic that I’ll accidentally kill someone when I’m trying to help them. I-I don’t know how to…” I sighed. “How to trust myself anymore.” My Ceraptor huffed a sound of pure frustration at my lack of faith in the abilities we shared, but deep down he agreed with my concerns.
“Ryder.” Nix’s voice was like a lullaby that eased the troubles of my weary soul. I tightened my arms around her, burying my nose in her hair and inhaling her sweet, smoky scent. Nix’s fingers trailed lightly up and down my arm, and I cursed the heavy winter coat that muted the pressure and stole some of our intimacy. “We may never fully understand what caused your powers to shift that day. Maybe it was driven by fear and your need to protect me, or maybe Theo’s theory is correct, and getting my Phoenix’s blood on your skin increased your powers like ingesting my blood amplified his, but no matter what the answer is, it doesn’t change who you are fundamentally.” Nix twisted in my arms to reach up and cup my face, her brown eyes